Seed-discharging mechanism.



A. G. LINDGREN.

SEED DISGHARGING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.13, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHBET 1.

Patented June 17, 1913.

Patented June 1?, 1913.

2 SHEETS-5H3}?! 2.

&@ I amen um A. G. LINDGRBN.

SEED DISG-HARGING MECHANISM.

' APPLICATION FILED NOV.13, 1912 knocker devices are employed, which overlie .the plates so as to operate 1n conpinction and useful Improvements in Seed-Dischargplates. This necessity for a change of the reasons, mainly because it entails a waste of time stars at @FFlQE.

ALEXUS .C. LIlfIDGB-QEN, 0F MOLINE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO MOLINE PLOW COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

SEED-DISCHARGIN G MECHANISM.

messes.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented June 17,1913.

Application filed November 13, 1912. Serial No. 731,158.

To all whom/i1. may concern Be itknown that I, ALExUs C. LINDGREN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moline, in the county of Rock Island and State of Illinois, have invented certain new ing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

, .This invention relates to seed discharging mechanism, and has reference more particularly to that type of mechanism used for planting corn, and comprising a can or hopper having in its bottom a rotary seed dropping plate containing seed cells to receive the kernels from the overlying massof seed in the hopper, and operating by its rotation to carry the kernels in succession over a dis charge opening in the bottom of the hopper, through which they are discharged.

. It the common practice to employ drop per plates of diiierent forms for different kinds of planting, one form of plate having closed circular seed cells in which vthe kerneis are carried on their side to the point of delivery; and another form of plate having open notches in its periphery constituting edge cells in which the kernels are carried on edge to the point of delivery, these plates being interchangeable so that one or the other may be employed in the discharging mechanism as desired. In connection with rotaiy seed plates of these types,

with the cells-therein, the function of the knocker devices "ring to insure the certain discharge of the kernels from the cells. By reason of the fact that the open edge cells are farther from the center of the plate thang i the closed circular cells, it is customary when the plates are changed, to also change the knockcr device so that it will occupy its proper relation to the cells of the different knocker devices is objectionable for many time in making the change, and requires that special parts be kept.on hand; and further, there is dangerof loss or displacement of such parts.

In a patent issued to me August 15th, 1911, No. 1,000,683, is disclosed an improved form of knooker device mounted-'movably so that when in one position, it will act in connection with the round cells in one form of plate, and-when in another position it will operate in connection with. the edge cells in a diflerent form of plate, the employment of such a knocker device overcommg the objections attendant upon the use of different knockers for the different forms of plates. In this patent the knocker device was in the form of a finger so mounted and sustained that it was free to shift in position, no means being provided for retaining the knocker in its adjusted position, so that there wasa liability of the knocker, when operating in connection with the cells of one form of plate, to accidentally shift but of Operative relation to the cells.

It is the aim of the present invention to avoid this liability of the knocker becoming displaced, and the invention consists broadly in means for retaining the knock-:1-

in the position in which it may be set to cooperate with the cells of a particular plate.

In its'more specific embodiment the invcnt-ioncomprehends the employment of aknocker carrier on which the knocker is mounted, the said carrier being of such form and so arranged that by moving the same, it will positively shift the knocker to one of its operative positions from the other, and when so shifted will actto retain the knocker in its shifted position.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure l is a vertical sectional elevation taken centraily through Fig. 2, showing the seed discharging mechanism and itsdriving parts,- with my invention embodied therein. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, showing the mechanism equipped with a dropper plate having round or fiatcells, the covering casing for the knocker device being removed. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the mechanism equipped with a dropper plate having edge cells. Fig. 4 is a bottom plan sectionalv View of the parts shown in Fig. 2 on the line a--a of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional elevation taken on the line b'b of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line cc of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is an elevation showing the means for locking the knocker device in position.

Referring to the drawings, the seed discharging mechanism is "mounted and sustained in any suitable manner in the bottom or frame member 1, of a can or hopper (not. shown) ,and'includes a rotary seeddlstributing plate which maybe either of the form indicated by the numeral 2 in Fig. 2, with -and they are mounted and rotated in' any suitable manner. In the present instance the plate fis seated loosely on av ring-like guidingplate t, constitutinga part of the frame member and provided on its under side with bevel gear teeth engaged by a bevel gear 5, on a driving shaft 6. Surrounding the dropper tends upward y in the form of a ring 1*, to

which the lower edge of the hopper is adapted to be fixed, andcarried by this ring by" means of radial arms 8, is a central cover plate 9, which overlies the center of the seed plate, leaving its'outer edge, in which the cells are formed, exposed, so that the mass of seed in the hopper will rest on the exposed portion of the dropper plate and will be caused to enter the cells therein as the plate is rotated, the result being that the kernels will be carried by th l and discharged i Succession throng charge opening 10, in the bottom of the hop .per. On one side and adjacent the discharge opening, the cover-plate has projecting from it a bracket arm 11, having at its 'outer end a vertical socket 12, receiving loosely a vertical finger 13 on the inner end 46*"ofra rod 14, which latter extends outwardly through a slot 15 formed in the ring 1*, and has its outer end exposed on the outer side of the frame member, the construction beingsuch that the rod may be shifted relatively to the bracket in a circumferential direction,

turning at its inner end on a vertical axiscoincident with the finger 13. This ro'd thus mounted constitutes a knocker carrier shiftable in position circumferentially in the slot 15. 16 represents a knocker device consistin of a finger mounted loosely at one end on t 1e rod 14, and having at its opposite end a depending nose 18 adapted to enter the cells in the platesas the plates are manner that whenthe knocker parrier is' =-,-.sh1fted. for instance from the position rotated and to dislodge any kernels that will not readily leave the cells. A spring 20 is seated between the upper side of the finger and the under side of the cap plate. and acts to hold the finger down yieldingly. It is seen from this construction that the knocker is carried by the knocker carrier in such shown in Fig. 3, where the knocker cooperates with the edge cells, to the position shown in Fig. 2, the'operative end of the- The dropper plates are removableplate, the frame member ex-.

with round cells, as shown in Fig. 2, is em-.

ployed, the knocker finger Willoccupy is rotated, enter the cells in succession, and

- knocker will move inwardly toward the cen engaging the kernels. therein, .will dislodge them and insure that they-will leave thecells and pass out throu h the discharge opening in the hopper. plate of the form shown in Fig.- 3- is' employed, which dropper plate is provided in its periphery with openedge cells; these cells beingat a greater distance from the hen a dropper" center than the round cells, an outward shifting of the knocker is required in order that its nose shall cooperate with the edge cells. This outward shifting. of the finger is effected by shifting-the knocker carrier circumferentlally to-the osition shown in Fig. 3', the result being t at the active end of the knocker device will be swung out-- Wardly so as to cooperate with the edge cells.

Any suitable device or means may be employed to retaintheknocker'carrier in its difierent shifted positions, but I prefer to adopt for'this purpose a fixed stopfinger 15 extending vertically upward from the lower portion of the frame member 1, on which member the seed plate rests. The

ring portion 1" of the time member carry mg the hopper oncan, is hinged as at 1 to the lower portion, which, with the hopper,

maybe swung up and back to expose and permit the interchange of the seed plates, and the relation of the stop finger to the ring member is such that'when the ring member is down in horizontal operative position confining the plate, the stop finger will extend through the slot 15 before alluded to,

and will occupy a central position therein.

In-this position there will be left free spaces at the opposite ends of the slot, through which the rod 14 of the knocker carrier may n respectively extend when the knocker ear ricr is in its different shifted positions, and the finger will hold the rod in such positions. In order to shift the knocker carrier, therefoie, from one position toanother to effect the corresponding adjustments of the knocker, according to the particular plate a for the time being in use, it will first be necessary to swing the ring member '1 upwardly to free the stop finger from the slot, after which the knocker carrier may be shifted to its other position to correspondingly change the position of the knocker for the changed form' of plate. The construction described constitutes an efi'e'ctive and reliable means for retaining the knocker carrier in its adjusted positions, as it will I 70 its i innerposition and its nose will, as-ithe plate be necessary before the knocker carrier can T be changed in position, to swing-the can back to an inoperativeposition. Mani festly there will be no liability of the knocker becoming displaced when action with a particular form of plate.

In order that in changing the plates, the

knocker will be prevented from falling below its normal position' and thereby b.ecoming' displaced, I provide 'the knocker finger with an inwardly extending lug 23, which is adapted to engage the upper side of the bracket arm and thus prevent the knocker finger from descending to an undue point. It will be understood, of course, that the relation of the lug to the finger and the bracket arm is such that the knocker finger will be permitted its full operative movements when in action, without interference from the lug, to dislodge the kernels.

Fromthe foregoing description it will be seen that means are provided for retaining the knocker in its diflerent positions to cooperate respectively with either form of plate, so that there will be no liability of the accidental shifting of the knocker out of operativerelation to the particular form of plate for the time being in use.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in the form which I prefer to adopt, and which in practice has i been found to answer 'to' a satisfactory degreeathe ends to be attained; buti't will be understood that the details may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of my invention, provided the operation is substantially as indicated above; and it will be further understood-that the invention is not limited to any particular form or construction of the parts except in so' far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is: i

'1. In a seed discharging mechanism, the combination of a frame member, a rotary seed dropping plate provided with seed cells, a movable knocker-carrier sustained by the 'frame member, and a knocker movably mounted on said carrier.

2. In a seed discharging mechanism,;'the' combination ofi a frame member, a rotary Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. 0.

seed dropping plate provided with seed cells,

a swinging knocker-carrier. sustained by the.

frame member, and a knocker movably mount-ed on said carrier.

3. In a seed discharging mechanism, the combination of a frame member, a rotary seed dropping plateprovided with seed cells,

an adjustable knocker-carrier sustained by the frame member, and a knocker mounted on said' carrier 4! In a seed discharging mechanism, the combination of interchangeable rotary'seed dropping plates provided with seed cells, a

knocker movable toward and from the edgesof the plates, ,and means for retaining the;

knocker in its different positions relative to the edges of the plates.

5. In a seed dischargingmechanism, the combination of a frame member, inter changeable rotary seed dropping plates provided with seed cells, a knocker shiftable toward and from the edges of the plates, and shifting means connected withthe knocker and exposed on the outer side of the frame member.

6. In a seed discharging mechanism, the combination of a frame member, ginterchangeable rotary seed dropping plates provided with seed cells, a knocker-carrier pivoted to the frame member on an upright axis, and a knocker pivoted to the carrier on,

a horizontal axis.

7. In a seed discharging mechanism,;the

combination of a frame member, interchangeable seed dropping plates provided with seed cells differing in the two'plates in respect to their distance from the center of the plate, a knocker 'device movable laterally toward and from the centerof the plate, and a knocker-carrier on which said knocker is mounted, said carrier being adjustable to set the knocker so that it will cooperate with the cells in either plate as desired.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature f two witnesses.

ALEXUS C. LINDGREN. I

in presence 0 Witnesses:

' S. C. BFANDING,

JAMEs f LAMB.

Commissioner of Patentia, 

